ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The ghost pepper, or "bhut jolokia," is one of the hottest chili peppers in the world. Ghost peppers have a measured "heat" of > 1,000,000 Scoville heat units (SHU), more than twice the strength of a habanero pepper. To our knowledge, no significant adverse effects of ghost pepper ingestion have been reported. CASE REPORT: A 47-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department (ED) with severe abdominal and chest pain subsequent to violent retching and vomiting after eating ghost peppers as part of a contest. A subsequent chest x-ray study showed evidence of a left-sided pleural effusion and patchy infiltrates. A computed tomography scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed pneumomediastinum with air around the distal esophagus, suggestive of a spontaneous esophageal perforation and a left-sided pneumothorax. The patient was intubated and taken immediately to the operating room, where he was noted to have a 2.5-cm tear in the distal esophagus, with a mediastinal fluid collection including food debris, as well as a left-sided pneumothorax. The patient was extubated on hospital day 14, and was discharged home with a gastric tube in place on hospital day 23. WHY SHOULD AN EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN BE AWARE OF THIS?: Spontaneous esophageal rupture, Boerhaave syndrome, is a rare condition encountered by emergency physicians, with a high mortality rate. This case serves as an important reminder of a potentially life- threatening surgical emergency initially interpreted as discomfort after a large spicy meal.
Subject(s)
Capsicum/adverse effects , Esophageal Perforation/etiology , Vomiting/complications , Eating , Humans , Male , Mediastinal Emphysema/etiology , Middle Aged , Pneumothorax/etiology , Rupture, Spontaneous/etiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Pharmacokinetic data obtained from children who have human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are essential for the safe and effective use of antiretroviral agents in pediatric populations. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of body weight on the pharmacokinetic disposition of nelfinavir (NFV) in the absence and presence of nevirapine (NVP) and compare the pharmacokinetic profiles of twice-daily (BID) and three-times-daily (TID) NFV regimens. METHODS: This was an intensive pharmacokinetic substudy nested in a phase II, multicenter, randomized, open-label trial. Forty-five HIV-infected children receiving NFV 30 mg/kg TID and 6 HIV-infected children receiving NFV 55 mg/kg BID were enrolled in this study and assigned to 1 of 4 stavudine-containing regimens, 3 containing NFV and 2 containing NVP. Area under the plasma concentration-time curves from 0 to 8 hours (AUC(0-8 hours)) and from 0 to 12 hours (AUC(0-12 hours)) for the TID and BID regimens, respectively, were determined. For comparative purposes, the AUC(0-24 hours) was also calculated for each regimen. RESULTS: NFV exposure in the absence of NVP was decreased in children who were <25 kg compared with those who were >25 kg (a 2.6-fold difference in median AUC(0-8 hours)). NFV pharmacokinetics in the presence of NVP did not differ between the <25 kg and >25 kg groups. The AUC(0-24 hours) for children who were <30 kg and on NFV BID was comparable to the AUC(0-24 hours) for children who were >25 kg and on NFV TID but was 2.7-fold greater than AUC(0-24 hours) for children who were <25 kg and on NFV TID. CONCLUSIONS: NFV in the absence of NVP resulted in less than half the drug exposure in children who were <25 kg compared with children who were >25 kg. NFV dosed at 55 mg/kg BID in children who are <30 kg provides comparable exposure to that measured in children who are >25 kg and receiving NFV 30 mg/kg TID.
Subject(s)
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/drug therapy , HIV-1/drug effects , Nelfinavir/pharmacokinetics , Adolescent , Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active/methods , Biological Availability , Body Weight/physiology , Child , Child, Preschool , Dosage Forms , Drug Administration Schedule , HIV Protease Inhibitors/pharmacokinetics , HIV Protease Inhibitors/therapeutic use , HIV-1/isolation & purification , Humans , Infant , Nelfinavir/therapeutic use , Nevirapine/therapeutic useABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Protease inhibitor (PI)-based combination antiretroviral therapy is often indicated for treatment of maternal HIV disease, but little is known about PI pharmacokinetics during pregnancy. Increased cytochrome P450 activity may affect the disposition of PI and decrease drug exposure. METHODS: Steady-state PI pharmacokinetics, measured by the area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC(tau)), were evaluated in women on stable antiretroviral regimens containing nelfinavir (n = 9) or indinavir (n = 4) with or without ritonavir (n = 2) during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy and postpartum. Cytochrome P450 activity was assessed by measuring the urine 6 beta-hydroxycortisol to cortisol ratio (6 beta-OHF/F). RESULTS: AUC(tau) in women on indinavir alone decreased and 6 beta-OHF/F ratios increased during pregnancy compared with postpartum control values (n = 2). Nelfinavir results demonstrated no clear change and were highly variable. CONCLUSIONS: The results for indinavir suggest that metabolic induction occurs during pregnancy, which apparently resolves spontaneously postpartum. This may warrant dosage adjustment during pregnancy. This induction is offset by concomitant use of ritonavir. Nelfinavir results were variable and, therefore, the impact of pregnancy on nelfinavir disposition was not fully determined.
